Spring fever

I love spring. Really, who doesn't? Except maybe for T.S. Eliot and people with allergies.

What do I love about it? Gee, pretty much everything. I love feeling warm again. I love being outside, getting fresh air, having the windows open. I love watching things grow. I love digging around in the dirt and planting stuff. I love seeing bugs and birds come back to the neighborhood. I love waking up with tons of energy even though I got hardly any sleep. (Seriously, by past experience, I need 1-2 fewer hours of sleep per night when the weather is warm.) The warm weather makes me want to hug my son, kiss my husband, go jogging, plant flowers.

About three weeks ago, in a hopeful mood, I planted some peas. That spell of warm weather didn't last, and they didn't come up right away. Well, during this warm spell, they came up! I have plants! Sprouting! In my garden!

This warm spell, by the way, is no joke. It hit the 80's yesterday. No freezing weather is to be seen anywhere in the 10-day forecast. So I abandoned restraint and just started planting stuff this week. On Sunday: more peas. On Monday: some iceberg lettuce I'd started inside. On Tuesday: a row each of iceberg lettuce, leaf lettuce, and spinach. Today: indoor pots of tomatoes, green peppers, and marigolds to set out after the last frost.

I am so freaking excited. I water my seedbeds obsessively. I read the backs of all my seed packets and browse through garden books. Marko's getting into it too -- mostly in the realm of playing in the dirt. He needs a bath pretty much every day.

I've said before that children are like plants. Indoors, they're a ton of trouble and you can never seem to give them everything they need. Set them outside and they suddenly start flourishing without any input from you. Marko plays inside for short spurts before coming to me, climbing into my lap, and demanding attention and entertainment. But outside, I've watched him play in the dirt for a solid hour without even looking at me. Just today, I was worried how I might get him to nap and make up some of the sleep he missed last night. Well, around noon he got tired of playing, climbed into my lap, and passed out in five minutes, just watching the birds and the bugs and listening to the droning of the bees. I hated to bring him in, so I plopped him in his stroller in the shade and he's sleeping still. Really, in this weather, there's no need to go inside much at all.

The only downside right now is my back. My pelvic girdle is in as bad shape as ever. Its recipe for success is very light exercise only. My desires include digging garden beds and taking hour-long walks and chasing a toddler around the park all day. I really overextended it yesterday so that I'm not doing "anything" today. Meaning I roamed around the yard with clippers and trimmed stuff before admitting that I really ought to be sitting down. Outside. Reading garden books.

All I can think of right now is: Two more months and it will be summer for real! (Around here at least.) And I will have this baby out! And I'll throw the baby in the sling and we'll walk and garden and go to the park and do everything I want to do! I am so, so glad I've so far had babies in the spring. Spring is such a lovely time for babies.

Considering I'm seven months pregnant and it's acting like spring, is it any wonder I'm a little bouncy and excited?